ESPN released its latest college football power rankings this week following Week 1 of the season.

After last Saturday’s 17-10 loss to LSU, Clemson dropped to No. 9 in ESPN’s updated power rankings after being ranked No. 3 in the preseason power rankings, behind only Texas and Penn State.

“It would be easy to write off Clemson after they dropped their opener to LSU at home,” ESPN’s Mark Schlabach wrote. “It was Clemson’s third straight loss in an opener and its fourth in the past five seasons. Clemson scored a combined 23 points in those four defeats, which has to be concerning for coach Dabo Swinney. But this past season would serve as a cautionary tale for anyone ready to dismiss the Tigers as a CFP contender.

“After Georgia routed Clemson 34-3 in the first game of the 2024 season, the Tigers rebounded to go 9-3 in the regular season and beat SMU 34-31 in the ACC championship game. Cade Klubnik didn’t play well against LSU, completing 19 of 38 passes for 230 yards with one touchdown. LSU’s defense did a great job keeping him in the pocket. The Tigers clearly missed star receiver Antonio Williams, who left the game on Clemson’s second possession with a hamstring injury. Swinney doesn’t know his status for next week’s contest against Troy.”

In ESPN’s updated power rankings, Clemson is ranked directly in front of rival South Carolina at No. 10.

After the win over Clemson, LSU moved up five spots to No. 3 in the power rankings, behind Ohio State at No. 1 and Penn State at No. 2. Georgia is No. 4, with Miami rounding out the top five after its 27-24 win over Notre Dame, which slipped from No. 6 to No. 8 in the power rankings.

Florida State, which was unranked in ESPN’s preseason power rankings, is now No. 13 after its 31-17 victory over Alabama, which tumbled from No. 7 to No. 22.

SMU slid down one spot to No. 20 in the power rankings after its 42-13 win over East Texas A&M.

Former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables’ Oklahoma team stayed put at No. 23 in the power rankings after his team’s 35-3 win over Illinois State.

Clemson, which is now ranked No. 8 in both the latest AP Top 25 Poll and the latest Coaches Poll, returns to the field this Saturday to take on Troy at Memorial Stadium (3:30 p.m., ACC Network).